The Friendly Frugaleers - Furtively planning Christmas, as August arrives

[StoogingOn]

Welcome one and all!

I've let my dc play outside unsupervised since ds was 4 people are always shocked but our road is still in the 70's. Everyone knows everyone and the children are often in and out of others gardens or in the park. It's so rural no one comes here unless they live here and I can see from one end of the road to the other.

Yesterday's spends €17 on a stuffed cooked chicken, Disney yogurt drinks and 2 keyrings with my home county on them one for db in Canada & one for me. Dm paid for rest of food for dinner

OMG Irish MNers, do you remember I said DS wanted to try hurling (after doing a little home ed project on Ireland) weeeeeell turns out the supplier DH uses for sports club is now selling the equipment for it!!!

Oooh bacon and egg sammies for breakfast 🍳🍳🥓🥓🍞🍞🥪🥪

Skint stay at home day today.... I plan to go through my sewing patterns to see what fabric i need to get for my winter work wardrobe. I am thinking pencil skirts, tunic dresses and pencil trousers all in grey. They can then be layered with existing coats and scarves. Shirts and cardies from the cheaper highstreet stores. My mum very kindly off loaded her very posh bag collection to me. That should be me for autumn & winter. Although I do like the frocks that Toast are doing.....new pattern to buy or draft a rip off.

So that’s a twanger! My two would defo love those. I don’t think I’ve ever noticed one in a domestic property before, are they common?

Unescorted do you find it cheaper to make your own clothes or do you do it for fun? With knitting I rarely find it’s cheaper to make stuff, though recent Drops bargains are the exception. I still can’t wait to ‘meet’ my yarn

I can’t believe we’re the only place not raining! It looks wet here from Tuesday onwards but even if it is rainy I won’t mind - we’ve had such gorgeous weather up till now, I feel incredibly lucky. This was our view yesterday on our beach walk - we were the only people there! Note that due to forgetting DS’s hoodie and coat he had to wear my hoodie all day. And thus looks like a Jedi.

Cag I couldn’t see what was up with your glasses, I just see a dark picture!

Lonely I think I would melt if my kids made me something. I can’t think of a better present! DS literally doesn’t draw anything, ever. Except coins. He draws those a lot because he loves the numbers on the denominations. I don’t think he actually gets the concept of money though.

Off to a different beach again today for a picnic lunch. We only had about 45 mins there yesterday as dd was getting grouchy but DS loves the beach so we’re making a special trip to spend longer today. DH is going to abandon us and go birdwatching for a bit. It’s sunny and windy here, hope it lasts.

So that’s a twanger! My two would defo love those. I don’t think I’ve ever noticed one in a domestic property before, are they common?

Unescorted do you find it cheaper to make your own clothes or do you do it for fun? With knitting I rarely find it’s cheaper to make stuff, though recent Drops bargains are the exception. I still can’t wait to ‘meet’ my yarn

I can’t believe we’re the only place not raining! It looks wet here from Tuesday onwards but even if it is rainy I won’t mind - we’ve had such gorgeous weather up till now, I feel incredibly lucky. This was our view yesterday on our beach walk - we were the only people there! Note that due to forgetting DS’s hoodie and coat he had to wear my hoodie all day. And thus looks like a Jedi.

Cag I couldn’t see what was up with your glasses, I just see a dark picture!

Lonely I think I would melt if my kids made me something. I can’t think of a better present! DS literally doesn’t draw anything, ever. Except coins. He draws those a lot because he loves the numbers on the denominations. I don’t think he actually gets the concept of money though.

Off to a different beach again today for a picnic lunch. We only had about 45 mins there yesterday as dd was getting grouchy but DS loves the beach so we’re making a special trip to spend longer today. DH is going to abandon us and go birdwatching for a bit. It’s sunny and windy here, hope it lasts.

Seacow the glasses frames have suddenly lost their colour all over. Like someone has attacked them with sandpaper

Might pop down to town later, need to get some light bulbs. Only one in the living room works, so I will replace both with our first foray into LED bulbs #makeFluffyproud and put the working old one in the long cupboard which had no bulb (it does work though, we just checked)

Also need to update DD1's wardrobe a bit, damn these growing children.

Lonely that’s great news and happy birthday too. I love marzipan!!!

Hope everyone is having a good day, I’m not dressed yet it’s taken me about two hours to catch up on the thread you chatty lot.

Yesterday spent £21 drinks £3 lunch and £5.60 dirty McDonald’s on the way home. I am utterly knackered and in pain but it was totally worth it.

Need to nip to the shops for tbags, milk, drain unblocker and possibly bread. Planning to bag up some more of H’s stuff today and move it to the loft.

Ok. So my wardrobe is empty and fills 4 bin bags a laundry bag a bod (shoes) and two carrier bags. That’s just my stuff. Gulp.

I have a sports direct bag for life full of hangers.

It's rained all day here so far. I think a puddle walk is in order later but I want to get a crumble made ready for tea first.

I made a lovely resourceful lunch of minestrone using odd veg out of the fridge and a tin of tomatoes and garlic pizza bread. It was delicious and meant we used up some bits instead of nipping to the shop.

Em thats great progress, you have given me inspiration to do a good declutter today and tomorrow!
Took DS2 to the drop off point for camp, DD2 and I went to the local cafe, to wait for the shops to open. At a play area now
waiting, still, for the rest of the shops to open. It is quite warm and raining very lightly, it is lovely.

So I have £40 Lakeland vouchers...what shall I get? I have enough baking pans, and short of just buying licorice, I'm stuck. Should I be clever and buy some christmas presents?

curvy thanks. I’m taking it to dparents in a bit will sort through it later this afternoon and am determined to ditch some other things. I really do have far far too much.

Some things I’m going to try and sell but a lot I think I’m just going to bite the bullet and charity shop. It’s more immediate!

I’ve ditched all those skinny dry cleaners hangers. They’re no good anyway. Have kept three outfits for work aside. And a gym bag. That’s it.

I do have far far too much stuff. This process is making me look at things though and work out whether I need them or not.

I’m also defrosting the freezer. And have thrown bicarb and vinegar down the shower drain. Need to unclog it. I’m loathed to buy drain unblocker unless I absolutely have to.

Am also going to run oven on the cleaning setting. This should heat up the kitchen and speed up defrosting process.

Lonely I’d invest it in a heated Airer personally. I love mine.

I love your oven plan Em. I never thought of that before.

I am pottering, and clarinetting and pottering some more.

sea it depends on the fabric. I generally get super cheap roll ends or off cuts so it works out cheaper. The main advantage is that I can alter the pattern to fit me. I have boxy shoulders but no boobs and feck all waist/ hip curves but a sprinters arse and thighs and freakishly long legs. If a dress or shirt fits across my shoulders a family of 5 could move in to the bust area. And I end up with huge gaping waist bands. may as well make the frock instead of dismantling a ready made one only to find there is next to nothing in the seams to allow me to alter it.
I don't bother making stretchy things.

Unescorted I love that description. I have similar problems with clothes which is why I also make my own.

Great use of your time there em, my oven doesn't do self clean, but if it did I would be stealing that idea!
Well a good afternoon spent clearing out the hallway cupboard. Its a big double one, that I really don't go in much as last time I did, it was all sorted and it was just stuff we couldn't part with, some of my eldest DDs belongings ( she is at Uni) and some bigger uniform that I got for a steal last year.
Thats what I went in there for.
It turns out my dp has been hoarding so I've put all the stuff in a couple of boxes and he can shift it elsewhere, like out of the home! Grrr!
I shouldn't be surprised really, he has form for this, he just has trouble getting rid.

Sorry, rant over!

Nsd. Walked 14 miles and pub lunch but dp paid. It rained and my boots hurt. Home now. Think I might do a fridge soup for tea as had a big roast for lunch. Em you sound ruthless. Come round to mine i have 3 wardrobes and one is walk in. I found a dress recently in a dry cleaners bag. The ticket was dated 2003😯

Spendy grocery shopping day. 87 in Lidl, 21 in rema and 15 at mac on last day off holiday brekkie. Found 2 games for dd1 for advent gifts at lidl, one about the body and one about animals, was reduced to 6 each.
On positive side my sale ended at 212 in total after the commission. Really pleased with that

curvey all 6 of us are like that. Except we have no cupboards to hide it in. Just have trouble getting rid.

Not much accomplished. Plus I'm about to take the dc for a drive through. It is not close by. All I've done today is £35 extra work and one lot of tumbling. Must wash work jeans and tops for next week. In fact I'll put them on before we head out.

Dp is in bed with what appears to be a migraine. This is new. Another ailment to add to the list.

Today not so spendy, had to give up and come home due to pain. FFS. Did find some LED bulbs (resisted the caglets eyeing up the remote controlled colour changing one :o) and a non-twangy door stop thingy :o but the rest of the day will be spent on the sofa. DH did a hot lunch so the caglets can make themselves toasties for dinner

£10 Tesco £50 petrol. Have done a bit of pruning in the garden. Hung the washing up and moved as much of h’s shit as I could into attic. I have definitely overdone it this weekend and I am paying the price so I’ve spent quite some time horizontal on the sofa binge-watching a series

My dh is being a twat.

I've hoovered the whole house and tidied, have properly cleaned the kitchen and am making the shepherds pie now. Dh is watching football next to the washing basket full of dry clean clothes that he just left yesterday. I'm not folding it he can do it himself.